Tommy Robinson used ‘bullyboy, intimidatory tactics’ to threaten two Mail journalists, a court heard today.
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court → use → journalists
The activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, sent photographers to their addresses and circulated photos of their homes to his millions of social media followers, prosecutors said.
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prosecutors → send → followers
The two journalists, Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber, ‘feared for their own personal safety’.
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journalists → fear → safety
Robinson – or Lennon, as he was referred to in court - denies two charges of harassment causing fear of violence.
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he → refer → violence
The founder of the English Defence League greeted supporters outside Southwark Crown Court when he arrived for his five-day trial.
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he → greet → trial
Opening the case, prosecutor Ben Holt said Lennon, 43, had targeted the journalists in response to what he perceived to be ‘an unnecessary intrusion into his holiday’.
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he → open → holiday
He told jurors: ‘What he did, we say, was to intimidate those journalists.
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we → tell → journalists
‘He chose to frighten them, arrange for individuals to go their addresses.
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individuals → choose → addresses
‘On social media, to millions of followers, he circulated images of their homes.
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he → circulate → homes
‘His supporters got involved, threatening the journalists.
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supporters → involve → journalists
‘Understandably, you might agree, they were scared, in some circumstances being forced to leave their homes.’
uncertain
they → agree → homes
The prosecutor told the jury of nine women and three men the allegations dated back to the summer of 2024, when there was widespread unrest across England following the Southport tragedy in which three young girls were stabbed to death at a dance event.
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girls → tell → event
Tommy Robinson (front left), whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday for the start of his five-day trial
Mr Holt said that, during some of the anti-immigrant protests, Lennon had posted tweets on his X account from his holiday in Cyprus.
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Lennon → appear → Cyprus
Mr Dirnhuber sent reporter Mr Young and a photographer to Cyprus, where they took pictures of Lennon reclining on a sunbed using his mobile phone.
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Lennon → send → phone
Mr Dirnhuber was aware of the Prime Minister making a speech referencing individuals ‘who were whipping up trouble and running away’, jurors were told.
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jurors → make → trouble
They were shown the Daily Mail’s front page from August 5, with a photo of Lennon and the headline: ‘Stoking race riots from his sunbed’.
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They → show → sunbed
Mr Holt told the members of the jury that they ‘may or may not agree’ with the editorial call taken by the Daily Mail, and may have their own views generally about the Mail.
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they → tell → Mail
But he told them this trial was not about that, but about Lennon’s reaction to the journalists whom he perceived had intruded on his holiday.
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he → tell → holiday
Mr Holt said Lennon could have complained about the newspaper to the independent Press regulator, IPSO, but had not done so.
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Lennon → say → regulator
Instead, he sent photographers to the journalists’ home addresses.
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he → send → addresses
‘This is what this trial is actually about,’ said Mr Holt.
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Holt → say → what
‘The prosecution say this defendant, using bully-boy, intimidatory tactics, threatened the journalists.
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defendant → say → journalists
‘He put pictures, albeit redacted, of them out on his timeline on X for the enjoyment and appreciation of his followers.
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He → put → followers
‘And, as a result, the journalists feared for their own personal safety and also for their own family, either being forced to leave home or employ security personnel to watch their home address.’
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journalists → fear → address
Lennon allegedly sent Mr Dirnhuber a message saying ‘I’ll be knocking on your door’.
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I → send → door
posted a photo of Mr Dirnhuber outside his home address, the far-right leader reposted it with the words ‘Got ya’, adding: ‘I got all three of you tagged & bagged in 1 day’.
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three → post → day
He allegedly phoned Mr Young and was ‘swearing and shouting’, saying he had researched Mr Young’s family.
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he → phone → family
‘Mr Lennon became, in Mr Young’s words, increasingly menacing,’ said the prosecutor.
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prosecutor → become → words
Mr Young believes he told him: ‘I’m coming to get you’, and he repeatedly asked Mr Young ‘if he thought it was fair that he had “doxxed” his children by exposing his holiday location’.
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he → believe → location
He also left a voicemail on the Editor of the Daily Mail’s mobile phone saying: ‘I’ve already located every f***ing one of you.’
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I → leave → you
Lennon, wearing a blue checked waistcoat and white shirt, listened as the prosecution outlined the case against him.
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prosecution → wear → him
Jurors were told he had answered ‘no comment’ to all questions when police first interviewed him, on December 9, 2024.
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police → tell → December
When detectives interviewed him the second time, two days later, he provided a prepared statement.
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he → interview → statement
It said the Mail article had identified the hotel where he had been staying in Cyprus with his family and he was ‘suddenly overrun with news crews taking photos and filming my children’.
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crews → say → children
He said his children had been ‘scared and upset’.
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children → say → ?
There were no identifiable pictures of Lennon’s children published by the Daily Mail in print or online, jurors were told.
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jurors → be → print
Mr Holt said: ‘His case is that his family had been put in danger by the actions of the Daily Mail.
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family → say → Mail
A phrase we will hear a few times in this case is, “What is good for the
goose is good for the gander”.
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is → hear → gander
‘He acted as he did to protect his family - as such, he says, his conduct was reasonable.’
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conduct → act → family
The trial judge, Mr Justice Cavanagh, told the jury the defendant was a ‘prominent activist and commentator’ adding: ‘If you have any opinions about the defendant, you must put those complaints to one side.
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you → tell → side
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
